UKNS-Is my Green Registration (Residency) Certificate Valid?

Despite the clamour from various administrative offices for proof of possession of a TIE, the green registration certificate remains valid.

The Spanish government chose the Declaratory system on residency from the Withdrawal Agreement. Furthermore a Resolution was drafted with instructions for residency rights for those pre transition period residents and those entering after that date:

“Joint instruction of the General Directorate of Migration and the General Directorate of the Police determining the procedure for the issuance of the residence document provided for in article 18.4 of the Withdrawal Agreement”

The joint instructions were also shared with:

Extract from the Resolution which includes instructions:

“That citizens of the Union or nationals of the United Kingdom, their family members and any other persons residing in their territory in accordance with the conditions established in this title do not have to apply for a new resident status in accordance with paragraph 1 to have legal residence, the persons to whom one of the residence rights established in this title corresponds shall have the right to receive, in accordance with the conditions established in Directive 2004/38 / EC, a residence document, which may be in digital format, stating that it has been issued in accordance with this Agreement ”, articulating a documentation process based on the current registration system that also guarantees the right contained in article 18.4 to obtain a new residence document .

By virtue of this, the nationals of the United Kingdom, the members of their families and any other persons residing in Spain in accordance with the conditions established in the Agreement will not have the obligation to request a new status of resident nor therefore submit to a new documentation process, but they will have the right to receive, in accordance with the provisions of Directive 2004/38, a residence document that expressly includes their status as beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement.
In addition, in accordance with article 19 of the Withdrawal Agreement, it is allowed that this residence document can be requested voluntarily, during the transitional period”.

From the Administration General of the State. (Also shared with the the listed administration departments)

To print the photo below, click on the picture and save, you can then printout from your computer, tablet or mobile.

The validity of the green certificates are basically written in law and taken from an option in the Withdrawal Agreement, for that reason they will retain their validity for UK Nationals until these certificates are updated (as expected) to machine readable documents for all EU citizens. UKNS would then not be able to apply for the new certificates and would update for a TIE.

For those reading permanent residency:

From the Withdrawal Agreement:

Five years after the end of the transition period, the host State may decide no longer to accept national identity cards for the purposes of entry to or exit from its territory if such cards do not include a chip that complies with the applicable International Civil Aviation Organisation standards related to biometric identification.

Probable Phasing out of the Green Certificates

CAB Spain is not suggesting that UKNS holders of the green certificates do not update for a TIE. We merely provide facts and citizens make choices.

Travel Advantages of the TIE

Updating to the TIE SIMPLE STEPS

Please note: The information provided is based upon our understanding of current legislation. It is not legal advice but is provided freely to enable you to be properly informed. We recommend that if you are considering taking action, you should seek professional advice.